Mature Matrimony: Celebrities Who Married Later In Life

There are a myriad of reasons why marriage-minded people find themselves single in their 30’s and 40’s. We can’t all marry our high-school sweethearts days after graduation, but that doesn’t mean we won’t come across the love of our lives eventually.

In fact, Pew Research Institute found that a substantial number of people don’t get married for the first time until their 30’s. Further, study after study proves that marrying later in life is actually a benefit for those who want to get married and stay married.

The actresses on the following slides prove it’s never too late to live your “Happily Ever After” and you can still find “The One” after your 30th birthday.

Sherri Shepherd

44-year-old Sherri Shepherd married Lamar ‘Sal’ Sally in six-inch heels and no panties on August 13th 2011. Because every event in a celebrity’s life is reality show fodder these days, the couple’s nuptials were taped for a Style TV special: “Wedding Fabulous: Sherri Shepherd Gets Married”. The popular co-host of “The View” and her TV writer husband didn’t have sex for the 11-months they dated prior to the wedding and instead opted to have sex with each other for the first time on their wedding night. How sweet!

Mariah Carey

This May-December couple seems like the (still-married) Black Hollywood version of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher — only much better. After six weeks of dating, the then 38-year-old singer married 27-year-old TV host Nick Cannon during a secret wedding ceremony in the Bahamas. Tabloids reported Nick had “Mariah” tattooed across his back in huge letters and she had a small butterfly tattoo on her spine with the words “Mrs. Cannon” in script. On their third anniversary, the duo welcomed twins Morrocan and Monroe.

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett and her husband Courtney Vance met when both were students at Yale University. The actors were just friends and lost touch soon after graduation. Years later, they bumped into each other and decided to go on a date. It wasn’t until their third date, however, that sparks flew. When Courtney proposed to Angela, they decided to abstain from sex until their wedding night and in 1997 – more than a decade after they first met – 39-year-old Angela Bassett married Courtney Vance and they’ve been together ever since. The couple struggled for seven years to have children and eventually a surrogate mother birthed twins Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah for the happy couple. Angela and Courtney co-authored a book about their love: Friends: A Love Story.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis made headlines when she ditched her wig at the Academy Awards in favor of her natural short haircut. Who could convince an Oscar-nominated actress to do such a thing on the biggest night of her career? Her husband. Viola received a load of praise for her decision and revealed it was her husband who encouraged her to take off her wig and step into who she is. Julius Tennon and Viola married in 2003 when Viola was 38. The couple adopted a newborn late last year.

Holly Robinson

NFL quarterback, Rodney Peete surprised Holly Robinson with a proposal on the set of the show she was starring in at the time, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper. In 1995, the 31-year-old actress married Rodney in front of 300 people and Rev Jesse Jackson presided. The pair has been married for nearly 17 years and recently renewed their vows. They have four children, one of which is living with Autism. Together, the couple started HollyRod Foundation – a non-profit organization that provides “medical, physical, and emotional support” to individuals living with Parkinson’s Disease as well as families of children with autism.

Mary J. Blige

Mary J Blige and Martin “Kendu” Isaacs met in 2000 and the singer was 32 when she married the music exec who was also her manager in a small ceremony at their New Jersey home in December 2003. Although rumors have swirled that the couple’s marriage is on the rocks, Mary J. recently shot down those rumors on Wendy Williams show saying, “We have situations just like everyone else; it’s real. But we love each other, that’s it.”

Niecy Nash

Niecy Nash was 41 years old with three kids from ex-husband Pastor Dan Nash when she married electrical engineer Jay Tucker in an outdoor ceremony in Malibu. The newlywed told Zap2It.com: “You can get a do-over at love. I’m like, ‘Ok, wait a minute. I’m divorced, I have some stretch marks, I have three kids… how’s this all going to come together?’ But, I believed I could do it again. I wanted to do it again. So, I put on some tight spanx, dressed up my kids, and went outside to find them a new daddy.” Looks like she found him! TLC aired a two-hour special (from planning to vows) entitled Niecy Nash’s Wedding Bash.

Tamera Mowry

After dating for almost six years, 32-year-old Tamera Mowry-Housley married Fox News Correspondent Adam Housley in Napa Valley, California. When Essence magazine asked her how she knew he was Mr. Right, she answered: “I always wanted to be with him. I never got tired of him. He made me feel very comfortable.” The happy couple is expecting a baby in November.

Nicole Ari Parker

Nicole Ari Parker was 34 when she married her co-star Boris Kodjoe in Germany on May 15, 2005. The blissfully married couple has two kids together whom they raise in Atlanta, GA. Boris said the key to happy a marriage is for a man to be “present”. “When the wife walks in, it should be an event. You have to look up, you have to close the computer, and you have to say, hey baby, wow!”